Bryon Larrance joins up with John Cowan

Bryon grew up in Tennessee, but shipped off to the northeastern US to study at The New England Conservatory and the Manhattan School Of Music before settling down in Nashville.

Larrance joins Cowan on bass and vocals, with John Frazier on mandolin, Shadd Cobb on fiddle, Jeff Autry on guitar. He first auditioned with John during the summer of ’08, and dd his first show with the band in November.

“It has been several years since John has used a drummer. Before me, Noam Pikelny played banjo in the band.

I had never been in a bluegrass band, although this group’s repertoire is much wider than bluegrass. We do some fiddle tunes, but we also do some Stevie Wonder and Charlie Parker covers. My background is more in jazz, so dynamically that is where I’m pulling from.”

I asked Bryon if this sort of ensemble had caused him to experiment with the approach to percussion he has taken prior to joining up with Cowan.

“As far a experimenting that is a big YES. We spend lots of time rehearsing which is all about experimenting and trying different stuff. I’m using 4 different kinds of brushes, an upright Cuban cajon and a traditional jazz set up. It’s a blast!!!”

About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.